Method and apparatus for circulating water in swimming pools



Oct. 22, 1940. DAY

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CIRCULATINGWATER IN SWIMHINGPOOLS Filed larch 13, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 22, 1940. J. DAY

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CIRCULATING WATER IN SWIMMING POQLS Filed larch 13, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 100/5 J: 540 I i ATT0NEY I OCt- 22, DAY

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CIRCULATING WATER IN SWIMMING FOOLS Filed larch 15, 1937 y s Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VENT OR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 22, 1940 PATENT OFFlCE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CIRCULAT- ING WATER IN SWIMMING POOLS LouisJ. Day, Floral Park, N. Y., assignor to Josam Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application March 13, 1937, Serial No. 130,781

Claims. (01. 210-11) This application is a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 755,955, filed December 4, 1934, (owned by the assignee hereof),

now Patent No.v 2,073,784 issued March 16, 1937..

The invention relates to a method and appara- 5 tus for circulating water in swimming pools. An

object is to providea water circulation arrangement whereby definite submerged streams may be caused selectively to move or circulate in different locations as may be desired or required for different conditions or operations of the pool. Another object is to provide an apparatus for determining selectively the direction. of water circulation in a. swimming pool, which apparatus is simple in construction, efiicient in operation, unlikelyto get out of order, and which is settable for the selective controlling operation from a convenient point or from convenient points inside thepool. p 2 Another object is to provide an improved feed water inlet for swimming tanks, and, more specifically, an adjustable device for admitting water into a swimming tank at different points depending upon its adjustment, which device tends to maintain a setting conducive to general circulation of water in the pool as against special circulation for localization of flowjas for clean-out purposes. r f Other objects include the provision of an injector arrangement which is adjustable for;di-

version of water in at least two materially different directions, without having to'make the adjustment apparatus unduly large or expensive.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description relating to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred form of apparatus in connection with the water conditioning and forcing arrangement and distribution system of the par- 40 ent application above identified. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l. is a sectional view in a vertical plane showing portions of opposite side walls and a bottom wall of a swimming tank or pool, together with more or less diagramsectional view taken as indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3; and Figs. 5 and 6 are plan and central longitudinal sectional views respectively of a modified inlet fitting.

Referring to the general arrangement (Fig. 1), it

end or side walls of the tank are indicated at A and B (contiguous with opposite vertical walls, one of which is shown at C), and a bottom wall D which slopes downwardly from the vertical walls to a. main outlet or drain I of any suitable form. A platform or floor adjacent the tank is indicated at E, and a gutter F is shown as formed in underhanging relation to the edge of the platform adjacent the vertical walls A, B and C. L,

Such gutter usually runs entirely around the pool. J

The water circulation system, as shown in Fig. 1, includes the drainfl which may be connected as by one or more conduits 2, with a water forcing apparatus, such as a rotary pump 3.

The pump discharges into a conduit 4 leading to a water treatment plant 5 comprising a tank or series of tanks as desired. Such plant may comprise filtering means and/or medicating l0. Two such fittings are indicated, one ateach of two contiguous vertical walls; a branch line 6a being shown in broken lines leading to the fitting ill on the wall C.

As indicated, each fitting Ill is, principally, a

single metal casting. The fitting, in the form shown, operates as an injector (called also ejectors), the same having a tapered injector nozzle ll, the diminishing walls of which are in spaced relation to the outer walls, said walls being properly arranged and proportioned to cause the flow through one portion to induce flow through the other. jector (space l2 for normal operation with water forced through H) communicates, as by a downward branch l3, with a conduit I l which may have one or morepoints of communication with the interior of the tank. As shown in full lines, there is an outlet fitting l5-provided with a strainer or grill fitting 16, the fitting l5 being connected as by an elbow with one portion of the conduit l4. In addition, there may be any suitable number of branches Ma, one being shown by broken lines in Fig. 1. Such may be connected with the conduit I l or directly with the suction side of the injector fitting, as de- The suction side of the insired. Water is drawn from the tank at outlets 16 by the injector action of water passing through the nozzle I I from the treatment plant. Water is thus forced to leave the tank at various locations other than the main drain I. The outlets are preferably normally submerged, but may be located adjacent any of the tank walls. For instance, the suction side of the injector may be connected in part with the scum gutter F to convey water therefrom, which connection, or connections, would ordinarily include a valve or valves, so that water would be drawn from the gutter, only at certain times, as during cleaningout of the pool.

Referring further to the fitting II), both the nozzle II and shell portion 2| of the casting are horizontally elongated, as shown in Fig. 4, the inner termini of both portions I I and 2i being nearly rectangular as shown in Fig. 2, wherein the ultimate discharge opening of the nozzle is indicated at Ma and the discharge opening of the outer portion 2| at 2Ia. An enlargement 22 is formed on the extremity of the portion 2| of the fitting, this being rectangular in form as shown in Fig. 2 and having peripheral flanges 24 which, as shown in Fig. 3, are set flush with the veneer or tiling material C which, in turn, is secured to and supported by the usual masonry wall construction G (e. g. concrete). An integral flange 25 is formed on the portion 2| of the fitting IO, intermediately of its ends, the flange being embedded in the concrete. The fitting I5 and grill body I6 are similarly related to the veneer and masonry (e. g. concrete) of the tank wall, as will be obvious from inspection of Fig. 3. The construction of the outlet fittings I5 and I6 leading into the conduit I4 may include a cast or other suitable grill plate I6a secured to the fitting I6 as by screws. The flanged fitting I5 may be internally threaded at its opposite ends for reception of the fitting I6 and the conduit piping I4 respectively.

An important feature of the present invention is the arrangement for controlling, selectively, the submerged flow of water in the pool in connection with a circulating system which includes means for recirculating water in the pool without having to pass such water through the entire water treatment plant or circulating system. This has many advantages including the provision of greater water turn-over and effecting practical elimination of stagnant zones, without having to increase, or materially increase, the capacity of the treatment plant or pumping means.

As claimed in the parent case, localized submerged fiow occurs in directions towards the outlets I6 whenever the injectors are operated by water forced from the pumping means. This occasions no special load on the pumping means, and, by judicious placement of a sufficient number of induced flow outlets, all dead-spots may be eliminated from the pool. However, the induced flow is normally in constant directions because the positions of the outlets must necessarily be fixed as a practical matter. The present arrangement allows the same apparatus to be used to create flow in, other directions, and includes provision of a very simple means to adjust and/or block the normal outlet of the injector devices, as will now be described.

Referring further to the enlargement 22 of the injector fitting II], it will be noted that the space 22a afforded by the enlargement 22 and its flanges 24, is partially covered by a plate 26 secured as by screws 21 to the flanges. This plate has a generally rectangular opening 28 aligned with the discharge orifice of the injector, somewhat larger, but of similar shape, as shown. The space 22a forms a vertical guideway for a rectangular frame 30. The frame 30 rests on the bottom of said space, i. e. against the lower flange 24 as a stop, and in this position of the frame water can get through an opening in it at 32 which may comprise grill work formed in the frame, or wire screen 33 such as shown. Leaf springs 34 secured to the back of the frame and reacting on the adjacent surface of the enlargement 22 of the fitting I0 press the frame forwardly against the plate 26 and form a retaining means for the frame, particularly when the same is elevated in normal discharge position, i. e. when adjusted so that its lower imperforate portion blocks (wholly or partially as desired) the passage of water through the opening 28 in the plate 26. For this purpose guide slots 36 are provided in the outer plate 26 into which pins 31 (fixed to the frame) extend a suflicient distance to permit the frame to be raised manually from inside the tank. By governing the spring Strength, the frames can be retained in raised position indefinitely, but the tendency (weight of frames) is for the frames to move toward or stay in the normal setting shown.

If one or more of the normal inlet openings 28 associated with the injectors is, or are, closed as by the means just described, then the injector or injectors so affected function to pass water in i a direction reverse of normal, i. e. through the conduit or conduits I4, I4a, etc. This in the particular arrangement of tank outlets I6 shown, would be used principally when it is desired to flush the tank as by overflowing it, because such described to create induced streams outwardly toward the fittings I6.

It will be noted that while positive locking means may be provided to hold the frames 30 in lifted position, this is unnecessary because the springs 34 are sufficient to insure maintenance in such position during short periods. Gravity tends to lower the frames, which is a desirable feature because in general, maintenance of induced flow through the conduits I4 has been found most effective in overcoming dead-spot conditions in the pool or tank.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the construction there shown may be used for the outer end of the fitting ID (or independently of any injectors for that matter) as, for instance, an alternative means for controlling feeding of water into the pool. In other words the fitting 50,may be formed in include an injector as part of its construction or it may be used as illustrated at the discharge end of a conduit such as 6.

The fitting has an anchor flange 5I intermediately of its ends, an internally threaded inlet at 52 and a laterally widened discharge and adjustment containing portion 53 flanged at its outer end as at 54. The outer face of the flanged shown inside the widened end of the fitting 50, of which device 55 is a valve plate and 56 a supporting body for the plate. The body 56 has a flanged outer end portion 51, open at 59; the

position that it may be swung upwardly into the broken line positionto close the outlet.

Water in order to pass out of the opening 59 has to rise over the body 56 and, in the position of the valve plat'e shown in full lines, such water merely flows over the top face of the valve plate.

To adjust the plate 55 there is provided an adjusting screw 62 (may be more than one, e. g. two) supported to turn in aligned openings 63 in spaced depending portions of the body 56, in cluding a depending portion 560, andheld against endwise movement as by the head of the screw and a collar 64 opposite the head. The screw is accessible for adjustment from inside the pool as by means of a screw driver.

plate 65, the upper end of which travels back and forth against the under side of a cam 55a on the under side of the valve plate to open and close the valve when thescrew is turned in opposite directions.

I claim:

1. The method of re-distributing water in a swimming tank comprising withdrawing separate streams of water from the tank at intake points adjacent its wall, conditioningthe water in one of the streams and returning a part of the conditioned water with the stream of unconditioned waterfor re-circulation to the tank at an outlet point, and thereafter returning the conditioned water alone to the tank through one of the intake points.

The threaded shank of the screw threadinglyv engages a pusher from the induced stream for re-circulation to the tank and thereafter reversing the direction of the induced stream and returning the conditioned water to the tank through the intake point of the induced stream.

3. In an apparatus for circulating water in a' swimming pool, a conduit leading from one point in the pool to another point therein, means for circulating water through said conduit, a second conduit leading from thepool and communicating with the first named conduit in such relation thereto that a supplemental stream is maintained in the second conduit, and means operable selectively to divert the egress of water from the firstnamed conduit into the second named conduit, whereby water will be forced through both conduits in series and enter the pool through" the normal intakefor the second named conduit.

4. In a swimming tank apparatus of the class described, a tank having spaced normally submerged outlets, conduits leading from said outlets, injector means communicating with both conduits and having a discharge duct arranged to return the mixed water from both conduits to. thetank, a pump in one of said conduits arranged to force water therein toward the injector means thereby to maintain simultaneous circulation of two localized streams of water in the tank, and selectively operable means adapted and arranged to block the exit of the discharge duct thereby to render the injector means inactive as such and active as a passage connecting the two conduits,lwhereb-y to maintain one circulating stream in the tank in a location different from either aforesaid circulating, stream.

5. The method of purifying the'water in a swimming tank comprising withdrawing'water from the tank at one point adjacent to the wall of the tank, conditioning such water and returning it to the tank at a point spaced from the point of withdrawal, withdrawing a second stream by suction induced by the flow of water to the tank and returning such induced flow to the tank with the returning stream of conditioned water and thereafter reversing the direction of the induced flow by returning the purified stream to the tank at the point which previously was the outlet point for the induced stream, and thereafter again permitting the flow of the induced stream to thereby purify the water in the pool by the alteration of the circulatory currents flowing to and from the pool.

V LOUIS J. DAY. 

